Strong Enough to Break
by protejerinnocencia
Summary: Paige gets a new charge but meets her in a very different way, even though neither know it. Watch as this young witch suffers through a great ordeal with Paige by her side. Will she be strong enough? Or will she break?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Her eyes opened and saw nothing but pitch blackness at first. Where was she? Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the dreary gloom of the place. It was cold and damp, a cave perhaps. She didn't dare to move for her senses were heightened and could smell the acrid sent of fear coursing through her veins. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them tight to her quivering chest. Finally gaining a bit of courage, she turned her head to the left and right, taking in more of her surroundings. She was definitely in a cave but she had no recollection of how she'd gotten there or why on earth she would be in a cave.

"Think. How the hell did you get here!" she muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair.

Her ears pricked up as they caught a sound not too far off. Her heart left. Maybe whoever was coming could tell her why she was here and help her get out. She was starting to feel claustrophobic. It was then that the base of her skull began to ache. Her vision blurred and head pounded like a migraine. Tentatively she lifted her right hand to the back of her head and felt it. It was wet and sticky. She recognized the substance on her fingers clearly as blood. Shaken now more than before, she hastily tried to stand but found her legs gave out. Her gaze turned downward and saw not only her left leg laying at an odd angle but that her ankles where shackled together. Panic began to set in. The footsteps continued to draw nearer, but at a snail's pace. Could this person be counting on her panic level being elevated? Well whoever they were had it right. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and she found it difficult to breathe properly. It suddenly occurred to look around for a door. There was none in sight. She was surrounded by four solid walls of stone. That obviously begged the question again of how she got here. Just then, a figure appeared out of nowhere to her right. She shrunk back against the wall as best she could in her injured state. The figure smiled at her, stepping closer.

"Why so scared little witch?" he whispered cruelly, grabbing her hair and tilting her head back until their eyes met.

"Please. Help me," she begged, tears welling up in her over-oxygenized pupils.

"Oh I'll help you," he sneered before roughly dragging her to an awkward standing position.

Her heart beat began to lower for a split second until he clamped his hand around her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply. She struggled, clawing at his hand. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to get him off her, finally realizing what he was. Nothing happened. Why wasn't anything happening.

"Stop struggling witch. Your pathetic powers won't work," he cackled, giving her a shake.

The tears that had been brimming finally spilled over at his words. She was helpless, not a damn thing she could to defend herself from this scum. She gasped as she felt his hand release her throat. Maybe he was going to let her go. Just then her eyes widened as she caught the sadistic glint in his eye.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Paige shot up in bed, cold sweat pouring down her neck and cheeks. She looked around, her surroundings dark. Her heart leapt in panic as her mind was still caught up in the dream. It had been so real. She reached up to touch the back of her head, only sweat came away with her fingers. She threw the blankets off and examined her leg. It was fine. She did her best to calm her breathing.

"Paige?" Henry mumbled, supporting himself on his elbow. She jumped at his voice.

"Are you ok hon?"

"I…I don't know. I just…this dream it was so real. I was in a cave and I couldn't orb, couldn't' use any of my powers…" she trailed off, getting up to go to the bathroom.

She ran a cloth under cold water and rubbed her face and neck. Henry joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her damp shoulder. Paige watched their reflections in the mirror for a moment, transfixed.

"It was just a dream," her husband murmured softly, reassuringly.

"I'm not so sure. It has to mean something," she protested halfheartedly.

"Maybe but right now let's go back to bed. It's two in the morning," he answered, ushering his wife back to bed.

Paige climbed back under the covers and curled up against Henry's chest. In his comforting embrace, she drifted back to a dreamless sleep until the alarm went off five hours later. Henry disentangled himself from his wife and hopped in the shower. Once he was done, she dragged herself out of bed, orbing the bed made as she went and took a long, hot shower. Twenty minutes later she walked into the kitchen and was greeted with a cup of coffee, eggs and bacon.

"What is all this?" she asked, sitting down and digging in.

"What? A husband can't cook breakfast for his wife?" he teased.

"Thank you sweetheart," she said around a mouthful of egg.

They finished the meal in companionable silence. Henry got up, rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. Grabbing his coat and keys he made his way to the door.

"Have a good day," Paige called, kissing his cheek.

"I'll see you at lunch time for the appointment," he told her, kissing her back and then rushing out the door.

Paige sighed as she watched him rush off to spend the morning with his boatload of parolees. With a look of resolve in her eyes she orbed out of her small house and reappeared seconds later at the Halliwell Manor. She nearly collided with Leo who was carrying a basket of laundry.

"Paige I didn't see you orb in," Leo said as he bent down awkwardly to pick up a sock that had fallen.

"I'll get it," she said, giving her brother-in-law a smile.

"How have you been?" Leo asked as he and Paige walked into the master bedroom.

"I've been alright. Is Piper around?" Paige half answered half asked.

"Uh, she's dropping Wyatt and Chris off at school," he answered after thinking a moment.

"She should be back in a few minutes," he added as an afterthought.

"Great. I'm just going to go wait in the kitchen," Paige muttered and descended the stairs

She waited, pacing back and forth, for ten minutes before the front door opened and Piper walked in. She hung her coat up on the wrack by the door and tossed her keys in her purse. She jumped when she entered the kitchen, not expecting to see her baby sister standing there.

"Paige…is something wrong?" Piper asked, eying the whitelighter.

"No. Why would something be wrong? Can't I just come by to see my sister?" Paige replied in one breath.

Piper just gave her a suspicious look but didn't say anything. She walked past Paige and got a mug from the cabinet above the sink and poured herself a cup of mid-morning coffee.

"So does Chris like pre-school?" Paige inquired, leaning on the counter.

"He seems to. He's pretty good about not using his powers around the other kids. And Wyatt is doing well in first grade," she answered as she took a sip of the black liquid.

"That's good," Paige answered, lapsing into silence.

Neither sister spoke for a while. Both seemed to be caught up in their own thoughts. Finally Piper spoke.

"Ok. What's really going on? You don't just show up to make small talk. Spill it," she said firmly.

"Oh fine!" Paige muttered, giving her older sister an eye roll.

"But it would be easier if Phoebe was here so I didn't have say it twice," she added, taking a step towards the phone.

As if on queue Phoebe walked in. She saw Paige and panic showed for a minute on her face. She mouthed to Piper, asking what Paige was doing there.

"She's here Paige," Piper said dryly.

"Oh hi!" Paige called brightly, going over to hug her sister.

"Hi," Phoebe said tentatively.

"What's going on?"

"What is it with you two and thinking something's going on? Do you have some new power I don't know about?" Paige asked, her gaze shifting between Piper and Phoebe.

"Well you said something was wrong about two seconds ago," Piper railed.

"Oh…right," Paige replied with a small laugh.

"Is everything ok with you and Henry?" Phoebe questioned, looking concerned.

"No. Everything is great. It's just…I had a dream," she admitted.

"Dream? What kind of dream?" Piper pressed, leading her siblings into the sun room.

"I don't know. It felt so real," Paige answered, tossing herself into the whicker chair.

"What happened?" Piper and Phoebe questioned in unison.

"Well I was in a cave. It was dark and there was no way out…or in. My feet were shackled and my leg was broken. Then this demon showed up and grabbed me. He gave me this look and then I woke up," she explained, recounting the dream as if she'd just awoken from it.

"Well why didn't you just orb out?" Piper queried. "Our powers are still active even in dreams."

"I couldn't. I tried and my powers didn't work. I don't know. Maybe he was suppressing them or something," she answered, shrugging.

"Well can you orb now?"

"Yes."

"Would you recognize the demon if you saw him in the Book?" Piper asked, getting up and heading for the stairs.

"Maybe. It was dark but I can try," she murmured, following her sisters up to the attic.

The sisters walked into the attic and straight to the Book of Shadows. Piper began to flip through the section of demons. Paige moved to stand beside her, staring at each one intently. Piper flipped slowly until they reached the end.

"Well?"

"Nothing. He wasn't there," Paige answered with a shrug.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should look again," Piper urged.

"Piper he's not there!" Paige shouted. Her older sister looked taken aback.

"Sorry. Just he's not there. Maybe we haven't faced him before?" she suggested, giving Piper an apologetic look.

"Do you think he could project himself into our subconscious?" Phoebe wondered aloud.

"It's possible. Well let's get working the strongest vanquishing potion we have," Piper said, setting about gathering ingredients.

"Piper we have no idea what we're dealing with here," Paige protested.

"Everything ok?" Leo asked, walking in.

"Yeah. Hey what time is it?" Paige replied.

Leo checked his watch. "11:50."

"I'll be right back. I need to call Henry," she stated as she walked past Leo.

"And no potion making Piper!"

Piper rolled her eyes but put down the mortar. Paige rushed downstairs and picked up the phone, dialing Henry's work number. After a few rings he picked up.

"Hello, Henry Mitchell speaking," he answered.

"This is Mrs. Mitchell calling," she said before bursting into giggles.

"Hi sweetie. What's up?"

"Can you pick me up at the Manor instead of the house? I stopped by to see Piper," she told him.

"Sure thing. I'll see you in ten. Love you," he replied and hung up.

Paige turned around and was greeted by her sisters. They were looking at her strangely.

"I didn't hear you guys come down," she said, catching her breath.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked nervously.

"Well you just sort of rushed off. Everything alright?" Phoebe answered.

"Yeah. I just called Henry to tell him to pick me up here for my appointment," Paige told her sisters.

"Oh. Good well when is he coming?" Phoebe pressed.

"Stop it!" Piper hissed out of the corner of her mouth.

"Now there's something you aren't telling me," Paige railed accusingly.

"It's just…we were going out shopping today," Piper told her vaguely.

"And you didn't' invite me?" Paige looked hurt.

"For the baby shower," Phoebe finished.

"Oh." Just then a horn outside beeped twice.

"That's Henry. I should be back in a half hour or so. Don't do anything without me!" Paige called, rushing out the door and climbing into her husband's car.

After Paige had left Phoebe convinced Piper that they should go do their shopping now while Paige was occupied. So Phoebe and a reluctant Piper left the Manor and headed to the mall in search of the perfect baby shower gift.

Meanwhile Paige and Henry arrived at her OBGYN's office. After circling the parking lot twice, Henry finally found a spot. They hurried into the tall building and grabbed the elevator to the sixth floor. After giving the receptionist her name, they waited. A nurse walked out.

"Paige Mitchell," she called to which both Paige and Henry followed her.

Paige sat back on the chair and pulled her shirt up, exposing her slightly protruding abdomen. She made a face as the gel was spread over her bare skin, cold to the touch. Finally Dr. Lizbeth came in, giving the couple a kind smile. The ultrasound went smoothly enough. The baby was growing well. They wouldn't know the gender for another four months but that didn't bother either of the expectant parents. Ten minutes later, they were on the road.

"So did you tell your sisters about the dream?" Henry inquired as he put on the brakes.

"Yeah. We checked the Book but the demon wasn't in there. We haven't figured out what we're going to do yet," she answered, looking out the window.

"You're sure it was a demon?"

"Yes. It was definitely a demon."

"You want me to take you back to the Manor?"

"Yeah. Hopefully we can figure all this out," Paige murmured, not sounding so sure.

Piper and Phoebe arrived back at the Manor mere minutes before Paige and Henry. The two elder Halliwells rushed to hide their shopping bags. Paige walked in and saw them franticly trying to stuff the shopping bags behind chairs in the sun room.

"Oh stop it! I'm not going to look," she teased.

"How'd it go?" Phoebe wanted to know.

"Fine. The baby's healthy," Paige answered.

The conversation turned to meaningless chatter, about the newspaper, Wyatt and Chris, their marriages. Paige was thankful for the lack of demon talk. Out of the blue she heard a jingle in her head. Her head fell forward in annoyance, nearly missing her egg salad sandwich.

"What's the matter sweetie?" Phoebe asked immediately.

"The Elders. They're ringing," she responded irritably.

"Better go see what they want," Piper said, not sounding too pleased to be interrupted.

With an eye roll, Paige orbed out only to return moments later looking even more cross.

"I have a new charge," she muttered, plopping back in her chair.

"Well that's a good thing right?" Piper asked.

"I suppose but you know, I thought with being pregnant and all they'd cut me some slack," Paige whined.

"Hey I was pregnant, twice, they didn't cut me slack. Them or the demons," Piper shot back.

"I know, I know. I'm just cranky ok," Paige muttered darkly.

"Better go meet this new charge. I'll see you later," she grumbled, bidding her sisters goodbye.

Paige rematerialized in the hallway of an apartment building. Looking around to make sure she hadn't been spotted she walked to the end on the right, room 16A. Taking a deep breath she lifted her hand and knocked.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Her back slammed into the rough wall of the cave again. Her body ached and she was sure she was bleeding in several places. Her dark hair was matted to her forehead by sweat. By now the feeling had completely left her leg. She was being kept upright by the sheer force of the demon coming at her. She had closed her eyes as soon as it had started, hoping to block it out. It made no difference. The demon gave a fierce laugh as tears poured from the corners of her eyes.

"Pathetic little bitch," he snarled as he slammed into her again.

"Stop!" she begged, her body exhausted. She felt ready to collapse.

He did not respond verbally. Instead his clawed hand came down on her cheek, leaving a red mark. His breathing rate increased as he let out a low guttural sound. Naysa held her breath, praying it would end. Miraculously he moved away from her, looking quite pleased with himself. Naysa lost her balance, sliding down to the ground, ending in the position she'd regained consciousness in. Her head was pounding as blood rushed to her extremities. Her left leg tingled as feeling was slowly restored. With the restoration of feeling came the agonizing sensation of pain. The shackles chaining her ankles together did not help the situation at all. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession as she willed her heart to beat normally. The demon turned on his heel, crouching down to her level and lifted her chin to meet his jet black eyes.

"It's been fun," he sneered, letting his hand fall to her wrist.

Naysa was sure he was going to kill her right then and there. To her surprise and relief he merely shimmered out, taking her with him. When they rematerialized they were in an alley near her apartment building. It was early evening, the sun still making its descent over the skyline. The change in light hurt her eyes.

"Consider yourself lucky witch that I have spared your life," the demon hissed then disappeared.

Naysa leaned up against the front of a dumpster to get her bearings. Her eyes finally adjusted to the dying light. She looked down at herself, surveying the ripped and bloodied jeans and tank top. A sliver of bone was poking through the skin of her left leg. She couldn't put any weight on it. The base of her skull ached but that was the least of her worries. She needed to get to a hospital but how the hell was she going to explain being raped by a demon? She would just have to make something up. With every ounce of energy she crawled awkwardly towards the sidewalk running perpendicular to the alleyway. No one was around, that gave her time to come up with a story before she found someone to call an ambulance. The clothes would give away that she had been assaulted and that just wouldn't do. Thinking quickly she muttered a spell that she hoped would rid her clothing of the blood and tears associated with her attack.

"Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the seen to be unseen," she chanted and the blood and most of the tears disappeared. Her brow furrowed.

"Where did that come from?" she muttered to herself. The light had waned significantly and it the streetlamps had begun to come on. Naysa had little time to think about it as someone walked by. He caught sight of her and bent down.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"No. I need an ambulance. I think my leg is broken," she answered, doing her best to show him her mangled leg. Immediately he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911. The ambulance arrived shortly thereafter.

"Alright Miss let's get a splint on that leg," one of the paramedics said, motioning to his team to stabilize her leg.

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" a young woman with short red hair said.

"I was coming out of the building and I wasn't paying attention. It was getting dark and I missed the step," Naysa lied.

"I fell down the whole flight. I think I might have hit my head too," she added.

"Alright, we're going to get you on the gurney and get you to the hospital sweetheart," the woman said, giving her a reassuring smile.

The ride to the hospital was uneventful. She was rushed into the Emergency Room where doctors assessed her broken leg and welt on her neck. The welt was easy to sew up with a couple of stitches. Her leg would require more work. After taking several x-rays, they rushed her to the Operating Room where they reset it. She awoke several hours later, a nurse looking in on her.

"You're awake. Good," the nurse said with a smile.

"How soon can I be out of here?" Naysa asked, sitting up. Her leg was elevated in a knee high cast.

"Once the doctor signs the release forms you'll be free to go. Do you have a way to get home?"

"I can catch a taxi," Naysa said.

"I think a family member or friend would be better with that leg of yours all trussed up," the nurse commented.

Naysa nodded. She phoned a college friend who was living in the city and in a half hour she was hobbling into her apartment building. Jennifer took the key and opened the door to apartment 16A.

"You need to me stay for a while Nay?" she asked.

"I think I'll be ok," Naysa answered.

"How long you going to have that thing on?" Jen inquired.

"Doctor said about 3 weeks," her friend answered.

"Well you know my number if you need me," Jennifer said before giving her friend a hug and leaving.

Naysa lowered herself onto the couch, grabbing some pillows to elevate her leg. She had made sure that Jen had locked the door when she left. Not that a demon couldn't get into her apartment with a locked door but she was being cautious. She felt exhausted from all that happened. Before she knew it she was fast asleep. It did not last long. Her dream was filled with the rape. It was as if someone was playing a home movie over and over again. She sat up, breathing hard. She groaned as she realized she'd only been asleep for about ten minutes. She was too tired to get up and take some sleeping pills so she contented herself with watching some TV.

The next couple of days passed in similar fits of restless naps filled with the event. She was exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. Her lack of sleep did not help her leg. She was presently putting her leg up on the coffee table. She was dressed in workout shorts and a tank top. She didn't feel like fighting with pants and the cast on her leg. Just as she got herself comfortable, her stomach lurched and she felt bile rising in her throat. She'd also been getting ill since the attack and had no idea as to why. Naysa got awkwardly to her feet and hobbled to the bathroom, just in time. Five minutes later, she was washing out her mouth.

"God that's gross," she muttered to herself as she inspected her reflection. She was pale. By this time of year she'd usually been to the beach and gotten a nice tan. On her way back to the couch, the phone that hung on the wall in the kitchen rang. Groaning, Naysa maneuvered that direction and picked it up.

"Hello?" she spoke into the receiver.

"Hey Nay, it's Jen," Jen answered.

"Hey Jen. What's up?" Naysa asked.

"Just checking up on you is all. How are you holding up?"

"Not that great to be completely honest. I can't sleep and I think I'm sick," Naysa replied, being very careful not to say anything that would prompt discussion about the 'accident'.

"Poor thing. Just rest. Do you need me to come over?" Jen inquired.

"No. I'll be alright. Really, I will. Thanks for asking though," Naysa assured her best friend. With that they hung up and Naysa resumed her spot on the couch, leg elevated.

Finally, the day had come for her to get the cast removed. It was an exciting day. She'd be able to walk again. She would keep the crutches just to be on the safe side. Jen helped Naysa out of the car and towards the elevator in the parking garage.

"What floor is it again?" Jen asked, staring at the rows of buttons.

"Floor five." Jen pressed the number 5 and machine lurked to life, bringing to their destination.

Half an hour later, Naysa was walking, albeit with a limp and slight aid of the wooden crutches, back to the car. Surprisingly, she found putting weight on her leg easy.

"You want to go get a coffee or something? Since we're out," Jen asked as she paid the garage fee.

"Sure. Can we stop at the drug store? I need to pick up some aspirin," Naysa asked as they drove off from Starbucks.

"Yes Ma'am," Jen said jokingly.

Naysa wandered around the drug store until she found what she was looking for; home pregnancy tests. She bought a four pack and grabbed some aspirin because she really did need it. After paying, Jen drove her home.

"Thanks so much hon. You're like my savior," Nay remarked, hugging her friend.

"Hey, what are friends for right?" Jen answered as she bid her friend goodbye.

Naysa rushed into her apartment and into the bathroom. She put the aspirin in the medicine cabinet and tossed the other 3 tests in as well. Feeling kind of awkward, Naysa sat down on the toilet, relieved that she didn't have to wait long to make the test work. She set it on the counter while she finished up. She looked down and almost fainted on the spot. It was blue. She picked it up and shook it. It was still blue.

"Oh god," she gasped, bursting into tears. She would have crumpled to the floor but her leg wasn't allowing it. So, she stumbled into her bedroom and flung herself at her bed, soaking her pillows.

"This can't be happening to me," the young witch cried out, staring at the test once more, the make sure it hadn't changed color. She was pregnant. That explained the constant vomiting.

What if…if the demon meant for this to happen? Hundreds of questions whirred around in the back of her mind as she fell asleep. For the first time in almost a month she slept without being awoken by the awful memory. The next week went by in a blur. She stayed in her apartment, going out only when she needed to. Presently she was sitting at the kitchen table, stirring her iced tea with a spoon. There was a knock at her door that brought her out of her daze. Who would be visiting her? Jen had left to go to Florida to visit her family this week. Slowly she got up and made her way to the door. She hesitated. What if it was the demon, come back to torture her some more. But surely demons didn't knock. She undid the lock and pulled the door open, revealing a woman a few years older than her standing there, staring back expectantly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

The two women stared at each other for a good six minutes before either of them spoke. Naysa was balancing herself on her good leg against the door jam. Paige averted her gaze several time, mostly in impatience.

"Can I help you?" Naysa finally offered.

"Uh…you don't know me," Paige began.

"You're right, I don't," her charge shot back defensively, making to shut the door.

"Wait, please don't close the door. I'm here to help," Paige exclaimed, reaching her hand out to stop the door from slamming in her face.

Naysa halted the movement of the door and let out a sigh. She was not in the mood for some stranger telling her that they wanted to help her. For all she knew, it could be the demon, come back to kill her.

"If you don't know me, then why would you want to help me," Naysa asked rudely.

"And I don't need anyone's help. I'm just fine," she added, a tone of finality in her voice. Paige's gaze traveled to Naysa's leg that was barely supporting weight.

"Well by the look of that leg, I'd say you're not fine," Paige commented.

"Look, if you don't leave I'm going to call security," Naysa threatened, narrowing her gaze at Paige, trying to scare her.

"Ok, I'll go," Paige muttered, backing away and allowing her charge to close the door with a slam.

Paige glanced around her to make sure no one was watching. Finding it clear she orbed away, reappearing back at the Manor. Piper was walking down the stairs and jumped when she saw her sister standing there.

"Paige, when did you get here?" she asked.

"Just now," Paige answered, moving towards the kitchen, Piper hot on her heels.

"How'd it go with your charge?" her older sibling asked.

"It didn't," the whitelighter grumbled, tossing her head into her hands.

"What happened?" Piper inquired sympathetically.

"She threatened to call security if I didn't leave," the youngest of the sisters mumbled darkly.

"She threatened to do what?" Piper exclaimed.

"I…I don't know what to do. I guess I should go see the Elders or something," she murmured, not sounding too enthused to being have yet another conversation with the higher beings.

"That sounds like a good idea," her older sister agreed. With a sigh, Paige dragged herself to a standing position and after giving Piper a depressed look disappeared in a swirl of blue and white.

Below them all, the Underworld was a buzz with activity. The final battle had been fought and no demon had dared set foot in the mortal world for fear of suffering some ripple-effect of the Charmed Ones' success. Currently, two demons entered a small cave, deep in thought. The shorter of the two stopped walking and turned abruptly to face his companion.

"Zahir," he spoke.

"What!" Zahir snapped gruffly.

"Why did you not just kill the witch?" Yasir questioned.

"I have other plans for her," he spat, growing steadily aggravated by his companion.

"She has a whitelighter now. You will have a hard time getting to her," Yasir reported.

"I am not concerned with a whitelighter," Zahir sneered dismissively.

"From what I have gathered, her whitelighter is a Charmed One."

Zahir rounded on Yasir, sending him flying into the cave wall, a fire ball exploding just centimeters above the demon's head. Yasir cringed but hid his fear well. His superior grabbed him and they were nose to nose.

"I said I am not concerned with her whitelighter," he snarled menacingly.

"Alright," Yasir gasped, his hands moving up to cover his face defensively. With a glare, the taller demon let go.

"That will teach you to show respect to your superiors," Zahir grumbled under his breath as Yasir regained his composure.

"What do you plan to do to the witch then?" Yasir questioned hesitantly. He did not want to end up a pile of ash.

"I have been watching her," Zahir began, sounding very proud of himself.

"I still do not understand why you did not just kill her," Yasir muttered under his breath.

"Because she is still of use to me," Zahir shouted.

"She is uneasy around strangers. I shall play on that fear. The Elders sent her a whitelighter and she refused. She will be mine soon enough," he snickered evilly.

"But Zahir…the whitelighter won't give up," Yasir murmured.

"I expect the whitelighter to prevail. I am counting on it. She will be useful to me at the most crucial point," Zahir sighed, looking anxious.

"Why must humans carry their children for nine months," he grumbled as he began to pace.

"When is that?" Yasir inquired more boldly this time.

"You will know what you need to know when you need to know it," his superior snarled, again his short temper shining through. Without another word, Zahir glided out of the cavern. Yasir followed but at a distance. He was still wondering what Zahir had in store for the witch. It seemed cruel to just let her go. It would have been more merciful to end her life then.

High above the Underworld, Paige wandered around in search the Elder that had told her about Naysa. She hadn't been told why Naysa needed a whitelighter, only that she did. That had made Paige angry, not being able to really explain why she was there.

"Hello!" she shouted, hoping to catch someone's attention. No one answered at first. Just as Paige was about to call out again, a robed figure with sandy brown hair appeared.

"Paige? What are you doing here?" Grace asked. She had been one of the Elders to assign Paige to Naysa.

"My charge threatened to call security if I didn't leave her alone," Paige informed the Elder.

"Care to explain that?" she asked sharply.

"I…I'm afraid I don't know. You need to keep trying. That is all I can tell you," Grace said vaguely.

"There is something you're not telling me…so spill it. I'm tired, I'm angry and I really need a bathroom," Paige bemoaned.

"I swear, what we told you is all we know," Grace protested.

"Fine…I'll go along with your little Elder tricks for now but mark my words, I'll find out what you're really up to," Paige asserted before disappearing in a flurry of bright lights.

"What was that about?" a male voice asked from around a corner.

"Her charge refused to see her," Grace answered.

"You didn't tell her?" he questioned.

"Of course not Michael. I wouldn't do that," Grace replied, looking taken aback that her colleague would think her untrustworthy.

"We will have to tell her at some point. Or she'll find out on her own and I'd rather not have to deal with an irate, pregnant Charmed One," Grace added with a look of fear in her eyes. Piper had bad enough during her two pregnancies and Grace had the feeling Paige would be the same, if not worse.

Paige reappeared in the kitchen of her and Henry's house, glad to be home. She would have gone back to the Manor but she was too stressed to listen to Piper lecture her about helping her charge. Instead, Paige tossed herself onto the couch, drifting t sleep.

_Suddenly she was back in the cave and her body slammed against the wall painfully. She opened her eyes and was met with the hideous face of her attacker. She tried to scream but no sound passed through her vocal chords. She struggled against the demon but found that it did no good. It was the force of the demon moving within her that kept her upright._

_"Stop!" she begged, tears spilling from her eyes._

_The demon merely grunted as the end drew to a close, finally pulling away. She slid slowly down the wall again and wept. How could this have happened to her? Suddenly her legs were free of their restraints and the demon was picking her up. Her heart stopped. Was he going to do it again?_

_"Time to go," the demon sneered in her ear._

Paige shot up, cold sweat pouring down her face like earlier that morning. What the hell was going on? She took deep breathes to calm herself. She got up, her legs like jello beneath her and sunk back to the couch.

"What is going on!" she half sobbed.

She had to figure out what these dreams meant. Why was she having them? She also had to reach out to Naysa again. But it that was easier said than done. The Elders were keeping something from Paige and she knew deep down that whatever tidbit of information they were withholding was the key to reaching out to her charge.

"Damn Elders," she grumbled as she tested the strength of her legs once more. They supported her as she moved to the kitchen. She needed to talk to someone, and that someone was not her sisters. Sighing, she orbed back to the Manor, praying her brother-in-law would be there. As if hearing her prayers, Leo walked out of the sun room just as the last of the orbs dissipated.

"Leo I need your help," Paige said, not even offering him a 'hello'.

"I kind of figured you did," he replied.

"Piper told me about the dream," he added so as not to sound completely creepy and omniscient.

"Well I just had another…I think I…was raped by a demon," she admitted, the words scaring her as they rolled off her tongue.

"Did it look like the same demon from the first dream?' he asked, ushering her into the sunroom.

"Yes," she answered, her throat suddenly dry.

"Could these dreams be connected to your charge?" he suggested.

"I don't know. You know, I don't even know if she's mortal or a witch," Paige supplied.

"What did the Elders tell you about her?"

"Just that she needed a whitelighter."

"That's unlike them. I'll see if I can find anything useful out," Leo offered.

"How do you plan on getting…up there?" Paige queried, pointing to the ceiling.

"I'll make them come to me," he informed his sister-in-law.

"Good luck with that. No offense, you but your track record with them is pretty shitty," Paige muttered with a half laugh.

"Let me worry about that. You should go try and find your charge again," Leo instructed, pointing towards the door.

"I guess," she sighed, not really desiring to go looking for Naysa.

Leo fixed her with a stern look. She stuck her tongue out at him and stood up, her eyes closed and body immobile. She reached out into the web of magic that connected all magical beings. While she wasn't sure if Naysa was a witch or not, Paige figured since she was the girl's whitelighter, she could sense her. Surprisingly, she opened her eyes in revelation.

"I found her," she breathed as she disappeared.

She reappeared at an outdoor café. She looked around but no one had seen her arrive. She began scanning the tables to find her charge. She finally spotted her, seated at a table with another young woman. She hated to just interrupt them but she needed to find out why she'd been assigned to Naysa. She slowly made her way through the other tables, hoping she could catch Naysa's gaze. Just as Paige stopped at a table two away, Naysa looked up and her eyes widened at seeing Paige.

"Nay, I need to get going," Jen said tossing her empty coffee cup into the nearby trash can.

"No…Jen, please stay," Naysa begged as Paige approached the table.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Paige stopped just short of the table. Jen was giving Naysa a slightly annoyed look. There was an unsettling silence at the table that seemed so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"Nay, I have to go. I have work and if I'm late again, my boss is going to flip out," Jen protested.

Naysa just gave a pleading look before Jen got up and pushed in her chair. She walked past Paige, not realizing that this bystander was the reason for her friend's discomfort and fear.

"Hi," Paige greeted, moving to stand next to the seat Jen had just vacated but did not sit down.

"What…are you stalking me or something?" Naysa asked.

"No…look," Paige began, taking a seat.

"This may sound like a weird question but do you believe in magic?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"What?" Naysa's voice caught in her throat.

"Uh oh," Paige muttered. If her charge was mortal, she had just almost exposed magic.

"How do you know about magic?" Naysa asked, turning the tables. Paige sighed in audible relief. So her charge was a witch.

"I'm a witch," Paige said excitedly, as if they'd just realized they both fawned over some band.

"And your new whitelighter," she added, her tone dropping on volume incase anyone was listening.

Naysa said nothing but just stared at Paige. She was weighing in her mind whether this woman before her was genuinely there to help her. She wasn't completely comfortable with the fact that some complete stranger was supposed to help her.

"Can we go somewhere private to talk?" Paige suggested, breaking Naysa's concentration.

"Sure," her charge murmured, tossing her empty cup in the trash and stranding up. Paige stood as well and moved to steady Nay as she caught her balance.

"I'm ok," Nay muttered, limping slightly as she led the way down the busy street.

"Where do you want to go?" the whitelighter questioned, her hands resting subconsciously on her stomach. She had not yet started to show.

"We can go back to my place I guess," her charge answered with a shrug and the pair proceeded the short distance back to her apartment building. Naysa led Paige in this time. She looked around the apartment. It was fairly well-kept. She saw Naysa lower herself onto the couch and Paige mirrored her action.

"So why do I need a whitelighter?" Nay questioned. She had not been a witch for too long, only a year but she had acquired enough knowledge to know the major players in the game. It had helped her greatly in understanding and controlling her own powers.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Paige answered matter-of-factly.

"I…I don't know," Naysa shrugged, trying to look as unknowing as she could. She was pretty sure she knew why Paige was there. Somehow the Elders had found out and that thought just bothered Naysa.

Back at the Manor Leo was pacing back and forth. He'd been calling for the Elders for a good twenty minutes with no response and he was starting to get pissed off. After all he and the sisters had done in the name of the Greater Good, the Elders could at least grant Leo the courtesy of showing up.

"I know you can hear me!" he shouted once more.

"Leo. Who are you shouting at?" Piper asked, appearing in the doorway.

"Trying to get the Elders down here. They didn't tell Paige why her new charge needs a whitelighter and I told her I'd try and find out for her," her husband answered in an aggravated tone. Piper suddenly looked cross.

"Hey! Get your Elder asses down here right now," she shouted loudly. Almost instantaneously a swirl of lights appeared to reveal Michael and Grace. Leo shot Piper a disgruntled look to which she just shrugged.

"Can we help you?" Michael asked Piper.

"You damn well better help us," she spat coldly.

"My husband has been summoning your asses for a half an hour with no response," she added, glaring at them.

"We're sorry. We don't always hear mortals," Grace apologized weakly.

"You've got some nerve," Leo hissed, taking a step towards her. Piper grabbed him by the arm to stop him.

"We have more people to advise than just you, Leo," Michael noted.

"You know what. I've had enough of your bullshit. After all the sisters have done for the Greater Good, you have no right to withhold information from Paige about her charge," Leo snapped.

"We told her all we know," Grace interrupted.

"Look lady. You're going to tell us what we want to know or else," Piper threatened.

"Or else what?" Michael queried.

"Freezing is always an option," Piper shot back.

"There is no need for threats," Grace spoke calmly.

"There is nothing to discuss here. We told Paige all we know," Michael reiterated.

"I'm sick you lying!" Leo spat pulling his arm out of Piper's grasp and lunged towards the Elder. Michael reflexively held out his hands to zap Leo but was suddenly immobile. Piper moved her hands slightly, unfreezing Michael's face.

"Don't you ever pull that again!" she growled.

"He was defending himself," Grace protested.

"He was about to kill my husband!" Piper shrieked, ready to freeze Grace.

"He was attacking me!" Michael shot sharply. Piper glared at him and refroze his head.

"Now I'm only going to say this one more time. You don't tell us what we want to know, right now and your buddy here is going to go boom," Piper stated through clenched teeth.

Grace took a deep breath and silently assessed the situation. She was sure Leo couldn't hurt her as he was mortal. Piper on the other hand was quite capable doing whatever she pleased. The thought crossed the Elder's mind as to whether perhaps Piper was expecting another child. She caught Piper's gaze and knew she'd better start talking. Michael's life depended on it.

"Alright…we did keep some information from Paige," she said cautiously.

"And what information is that?" Leo asked, narrowing his gaze at the Elder.

"Her charge is a witch," she answered. It was true. They had not told Paige that Naysa was a witch.

"There's more," Piper murmured through pursed lips.

"We believe she was kidnapped and assaulted by a demon," Grace answered, taking a step back from Piper. She was not sure how Piper would react.

"Assaulted? What do you mean assaulted," Leo shot.

"Well….raped," she whispered, blushing profusely.

"Since when do demons rape witches?" Piper exclaimed.

"We don't know. That's why we assigned the girl a whitelighter," Grace answered.

"We were hoping Paige would be able to help her through the emotional repercussions," she added. Piper's hands fell to her sides and Michael unfroze.

"What did you tell them?" he questioned of his colleague.

"Everything," Grace murmured.

"And why didn't you think Paige deserved to know this information from the beginning?" Leo interrupted.

"We felt she would refuse," Michael told the former whitelighter.

"She wouldn't refuse. It would make her want to help more," Leo snapped.

"For being close to all knowing, you people don't know much of anything," he accused stalking out of the room only to reappear moments later with the phone.

"What are you doing?" Grace asked nervously.

"Calling Paige," he answered.

"Get out of my house," Piper snapped irritably. Grace and Michael were happy to oblige. As much as they respected the sisters, they could be downright scary.

Back at Naysa's apartment, Paige and Naysa had fallen silent. Paige could tell that there was something that Naysa knew and was probably the information the Elders knew too that was not being said. But this silence was starting to get to her.

"So, how long have you been a witch?" she asked casually.

"About a year," Naysa answered, her fingers drumming lightly on the arm of the couch.

"What about you?" she asked of Paige.

"Four years. My sisters have been witches for eight," she answered.

"We're the Charmed Ones. Maybe you've heard of us," she added.

"Sort of. You're pretty powerful. Guess I'm in good hands," Nay chuckled, the first time she'd been at ease in Paige's presence.

"I guess so," her whitelighter laughed back.

"So what are your powers?" Paige inquired. Perhaps discussing powers would lead to Naysa slipping up and revealing what was really going. Naysa glanced at Paige, unsure if she really wanted to answer.

"Well…it's kind of strange," Naysa began, pausing to collect her thoughts.

"I can somehow access all sorts of magic. I don't know how I do it but things just come to me," she explained.

"Like…if I'm in a situation, I can just close my eyes and whatever I need will just reveal itself to me," she expounded.

"Wow. Now that is some powerful magic. You can only tap into good magic thought right?" Paige clarified.

"I…I don't think so," her charge whispered.

"You've accessed demonic powers?"

"Only once. But its what I needed to help me. I was on a camping trip with a friend and we were trying to start a fire. I concentrated and a ball of fire just appeared in my hand…so I used it," she informed the other woman.

"God…being able to tap into the very core of magic that binds all magical beings. Are you sure you're not some like new power?" Paige asked, only half-joking. Her last charge had been the Ultimate Power. Naysa gave a half-laugh. She wasn't sure what Paige was talking about but she could sense that Paige was serious.

"No…I don't think so," she answered.

"You know…using your powers to help you is personal gain," Paige commented.

"If the Elders sent me here just to tell you that I'm going to beat them," she grumbled.

"I know…I know the rules. I only use them when I'm really in need. And to heat up coffee in the morning when I'm running late," she said with a smile.

"Yeah…I can understand that," Paige agreed.

"So is that the only power you have?" Paige asked. Naysa tried not to look scared out of her mind at the question. She had another power but sharing it would put her secret at risk. She was hoping that Paige wouldn't have to find out what had happened to her. Not only was it horrifying but it still confused her as to why it had happened to her.

"Well…I…um…" she trailed off. Just then Paige's cell phone began to ring in her purse. Looking perplexed she pulled it out. It was the Manor.

"Hello," she spoke into the device.

"Paige," Leo's voice answered.

"Hi…" she greeted.

"You need to get back to the Manor now. Piper and I had a little heart to heart with the Elders," he told her.

"And bring your charge," he added before hanging up.

"How do you feel about a little field trip," Paige said, standing up.

"To where? And how?" Naysa questioned, struggling to her feet.

"Orbing. I want you to meet some people," Paige answered before grabbing her charge and disappearing in blue and white lights.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Paige and Naysa rematerialized in the sun room of the Manor. Naysa's had gone wide as they'd appeared. Orbing was one of the strangest feelings she'd ever experienced. Once she'd regained her composure, she followed Paige into the living room to find Piper and Leo. Leo looked from Paige, to Naysa to Piper. He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want the charge to freak out; even though he had a sneaking suspicion she might try and run.

"So…what did the Elders have to say?" Paige asked.

"Elders?" Naysa asked, her voice rising slightly in pitch.

"They're so aggravating," Piper spat.

"Yes Piper, I know they are. But what did you guys find out?" Paige pressed.

Leo looked at Naysa again, suddenly feeling like she should tell Paige. But he somehow knew she wasn't going to. So he took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm guess you already found out that your charge is a witch," he began.

"This is Naysa," Paige hastily introduced before letting Le continue.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"What else did they tell you?" Paige begged, eager to know what her sister and brother-in-law had found out.

"Maybe you should tell her," Leo suggested to Naysa. Naysa was about to say something when Piper interrupted.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked of Naysa.

"Sure," she answered, glad that Piper was getting her out of the situation. She quickly followed Piper out of the room and into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Paige asked, her gaze zeroing in on her brother-in-law.

"Paige," Leo began his voice soft.

"The Elders said that Naysa was raped by a demon," Leo informed her. Paige stared at him as if he was going to burst out laughing and say that he was kidding. When a few minutes had gone by and he had said nothing more she cleared her throat before silently walking into the kitchen. She found Piper and Naysa seated silently at the table drinking cups of coffee.

"Is it true?" she blurted directing her question at Naysa. Both her charge and sister looked up from their drinks.

"Is what true?" Naysa asked.

"That a demon raped you?" Paige clarified, her voice a mix of anger and sympathy. Naysa didn't speak at first. But the tears that began to spill down her face Paige got the answer she was looking for. She pulled her charge to her, letting her cry.

"It's ok hon. Just cry it out," Paige murmured, stroking the girl's back comfortingly.

Piper looked up to see Leo standing in the doorway, waving at her to follow him. She got up quietly and after a glance at the two women at the table followed her husband into the living room.

"Poor girl," Piper sighed, resting her head on Leo's shoulder.

"Do you think we need to tell Phoebe?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Not right now. This is Paige's charge," she answered. She didn't want this end up like it had with Billie.

Back in the kitchen, Naysa had finally stopped crying and was now staring at Paige with red-rimmed eyes. She was inhaling deeply to avoid hiccups and graciously accepted the tissues her whitelighter offered.

"I just…tried to forget that it happened," she murmured through a sniffle.

"Naysa…you never told me if you had any other powers," Paige said.

"I…I do. I can project thoughts….memories when I'm asleep," she answered. Paige's face went white. It was Nay's turn to be concerned.

"Are you ok, Paige?" she asked.

"It was right in front of me and I had no idea," she babbled.

"What are you…oh no," Naysa trailed off. Realizing what Paige had just realized.

"I can't always control when and where my projections end up. I guess they found you," she muttered.

"No one wonder the Elders assigned me as your whitelighter. They must have known about the dreams," Paige affirmed.

"We should tell Piper and Leo. They'll want to know that the Elders aren't so useless after all," Paige added, standing up.

"Well the Elders are complete morons," she told the couple that had now seated themselves on the couch.

"You sure about that?" Piper asked skeptically.

"I have a subconscious projection power and what I was projecting, Paige was picking up," Naysa explained.

"The dreams," Leo said instantly. Paige nodded.

"Has the demon come after you since the attack?" Piper asked, looking interested.

"No. I was expecting him to. I'm still kind of scared to be in my apartment," she admitted.

"You can stay here if you want," Piper offered immediately.

"Oh, no that's alright," Nay refused politely.

"It's actually a really good idea," Paige interjected.

"I mean, you'll be surrounded by powerful good magic. The demon wouldn't dare try and attack you," she added.

"I don't want to impose on you." Nay continued to protest.

"Nonsense. You're moving in," Piper asserted and stood up, moving towards the stairs.

"Leo, come help clean the guest room," she called over her shoulder. Leo half rolled his eyes and smiled as he followed his wife up the stairs.

"Are you sure your sister won't mind?" Nay questioned once she and Paige were alone again.

"Of course not. She just told you that you're moving in. I'd say you won't mind at all," Paige answered with a chuckle.

"What am I going to tell my friend Jen?" Nay blurted. Jen had just popped into her mind.

"You can tell her that you're staying with some friends for a little while," Paige suggested.

"I guess that could work," Naysa answered with a shrug.

The pair lapsed into silence. Footsteps could be heard upstairs as Piper and Leo organized the guest bedroom. Suddenly the front door opened and two pairs of footsteps scurried into view. Wyatt and Chris appeared and Wyatt nearly climbed up Paige's legs.

"Aunt Paige!" he squealed, situating himself in her lap.

"Hi sweetie," she greeted.

"Me up!" Chris cried, trying to climb into his aunt's lap as well. Before he got very far, Wyatt pushed him off, his baby brother landing on the floor with a thud. Chris began to scream loudly. Almost instantaneously, Piper appeared, scooping the younger of her sons up in her arms.

"Wyatt?" she asked, knowing whatever had caused Chris to cry was her older son's doing.

"Hi Mommy," he greeted with a wave.

"What did you do to your brother?" she asked sternly. Just then the front door closed and Phoebe appeared. Wyatt looked from his mother to his aunt and back again.

"I sitting here first," he answered. By now Chris had stopped crying and was squirming to get down.

"Apologize to your brother," Piper ordered as she set Chris down. Wyatt climbed down and hugged Chris. Suddenly, Leo appeared, picking both of the boys up, causing them to burst into fits of giggles as he ushered them off to the kitchen for a snack. Phoebe looked from her sisters to Naysa.

"So…who is this?" she asked.

"Naysa. She's my charge," Paige answered.

"She's moving in," Piper added.

"Anyone care to explain further?" Phoebe questioned

"We just think she'll be safer her. She had some demon troubles," Paige euphemized.

"This is our other sister, Phoebe," she pointed out to her charge.

"So, do you want to go pick up stuff from your apartment?" Paige asked, not allowing Phoebe to get a word in.

"I guess so," Nay said with a shrug and the two disappeared.

"Ok, so why exactly is she moving in?" Phoebe inquired of Piper.

"She was raped by a demon and we think she'll be safer here," Piper answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh God," Phoebe breathed.

Over at Naysa's apartment, the two witches were gathering everything Naysa would need to move into the Manor. Paige scoured the bathroom for last minute toiletries when she noticed an empty pregnancy test box in the trash. She carried it out into the kitchen area where Naysa was tossing some clothes into a travel bag.

"Are you pregnant?" Paige blurted.

"What? Why?" Naysa asked defensively.

"Well…the demon did rape you," Paige replied. She realized what she'd just said and felt horrible.

"I'm sorry. I just…"she began to apologize.

"Yes…I'm pregnant. About a month a long," Nay murmured.

"Oh sweetie," Paige breathed, laying a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Have you been to the doctor? Are you absolutely sure?" she questioned.

"I…I was scared. I mean…it's part demon," Nay protested.

"Look, I know a free clinic we can go to just to make sure. Would you be willing to do that?" Paige told her.

"What about moving in? Won't your sisters wonder where we went?" Naysa questioned, avoiding Paige's offer.

"We're just an orb away. Come on. The test could be negative. Don't you want to know for sure?" Paige urged.

"Alright, fine. We'll go. But what if I really am? What do I do then?" Nay asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"We'll worry about that after," Paige answered, taking her by the hand and they disappeared.

They reappeared across the street from a free women's health clinic. Paige led the way inside and spoke with the receptionist. Naysa sat down and waited until Paige joined her.

"They'll see you in about ten minutes," Paige informed her charge. The next ten minutes passed in relative silence, aside from the comings and goings of other patients. Finally a nurse beckoned the pair to follow, leading them to a small examination room.

"Now, what can we do for you today?" the nurse addressed Naysa.

"I need to know if I'm pregnant," she mumbled.

"Alright. Roll up your sleeve please," the nurse instructed, moving towards her with a syringe. Nay had to look away while the nurse drew blood. Once she was done, the nurse handed Naysa a cup.

"The bathroom is just down the hall on the left," she informed the patient. With a slight flush on her cheeks, Naysa left the room, returning shortly with a urine filled cup.

"Thank you. Now just sit tight. I'll have a doctor take a look and we'll have an answer for you in about fifteen minutes," the nurse assured Naysa before leaving she and Paige alone.

"I'm pregnant too you know," Paige said, making small talk.

"Really?"

"Two months. It's my husband and my first," she expounded.

"Congrats," Nay murmured before lapsing into silence. The silence didn't last long as the nurse bustled back in.

"Well, my dear, you're pregnant. About a month along," she said, smiling brightly.

"Thank you," Paige said hastily before ushering her charge out of the room. She quickly paid for the visit and they reappeared moments later back in Naysa's apartment. Neither spoke as they gathered the girl's belongings and once more appeared in Halliwell Manor.

"The room's this way," Paige said softly and led the girl up the stairs. Naysa tossed her things on the bed and sunk onto the edge, tears spilling from her eyes.

"What do I do?" she sobbed as Paige wrapped her in a compassionate embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A loud crash resounded in the kitchen of the Manor. Piper rushed in to find Paige leaning against the counter, one hand on her enlarged abdomen, the other supporting her weight on the countertop. Directly below her, a water glass lay shattered.

"Paige, are you alright?" Piper asked.

"I…Ow," Paige cried in pain.

"Honey, breathe. Did your water break?" Piper coached her baby sister.

"I don't think so," Paige managed as the pain subsided.

"Well we're going to need to get you to the hospital," the elder murmured, panic starting to rise within her.

"I can't orb," Paige commented.

"Coop!" Piper shouted, ignoring her sister's statement. In a flash Coop appeared.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, eyeing Paige.

"You need to take her to the hospital," Piper ordered before beginning to clean up the broken water glass.

"Piper…what makes you think teleporting is any safer than orbing?" Paige shot uncomfortably.

"It keeps you in one piece," her sister answered from her position on the floor.

"Look…can you call Henry and tell him to meet me at the hospital?" Paige asked, gripping her stomach in pain once more.

"Of course. Now go," Piper ordered sharply.

The two disappeared in the pulsing light of a heartbeat. Just then, Naysa rounded the corner, Wyatt just ahead of her. He ran to his mother was just finishing sweeping the shards of class into a dustpan.

"Mommy!" he called, bending down to inspect what she was doing.

"Hi sweetie," she greeted, kissing the top of his head before standing up.

"What happened?" Naysa asked, one hand resting on her lower back.

"Paige and Coop just went to the hospital," Piper answered, emptying the remains into the trash.

"Oh no…is she ok?" Paige's charge asked, worry in her tone.

"Well her water hasn't broken yet but she's been having contractions."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she'll probably go into labor sometime today," Piper answered.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, appearing from the living room.

"Paige. Hospital. Baby," his wife answered sarcastically.

"Oh. I think you should stay in the Manor,' he addressed Naysa.

"We don't know what the demon might try. And the Manor is safer than a hospital. Maybe set up some crystals," he suggested.

"Leo, relax. Paige is the one having the baby right now, not Naysa." Piper reprimanded.

"I know that Piper. But Paige won't be able to protect her while she's giving birth. I told her she'd have to work this out," he grumbled.

"Yes you did but we'll figure something out," Piper mumbled, grabbing the phone. She first called Henry, informing him of Paige's situation. Next on her list was Phoebe.

"Phoebe Halliwell," Phoebe spoke into the receiver.

"Phoebe, it's your sister. Paige is about to go into labor. Coop took her to the hospital," Piper answered.

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she added before hanging up.

"So what do we do?" Leo pressed, eyeing Piper as she placed the phone back on the cradle.

"We bring the boys to Magic School and then we go to the hospital," Piper answered matter-of-factly. She moved to gather Wyatt and Chris and prepare to go to Magic School.

"Piper weren't you listening to anything I said?" Leo questioned angrily.

"Naysa will be safest here at the Manor but she needs someone to stay with her," he reiterated.

"Fine, then you stay. I'm not missing the birth of our nephew," Piper grumbled.

With that, Piper ushered the boys towards the door that had appeared in the stairway. Minutes later she reappeared. She grabbed her coat and keys and left without a word. Leo looked severely pissed off. It was his nephew too.

"Thanks for staying with me," Naysa said softly.

"No problem," Leo muttered, trying to calm down. Once his temper was back under control, he began setting crystals around the house.

"You think those will really help?" Nay asked as he placed the final crystal on a windowsill.

"I hope so," he answered.

The pair settled into watching TV in the living room. At the hospital, Paige lay in a hospital bed, gripping the rail firmly as she fought through another contraction. Her water had broken about an hour ago.

"Can't they give me something for the pain," she whined as she relaxed once more.

"I thought we decided you didn't want anything, honey," Henry commented.

"You're not the one being torn apart," she snapped.

"Excuse me," Piper called, catching the attention of a passing nurse.

"Yes?" she answered.

"My sister needs some pain medication for her contractions," Piper informed her.

"I'll see what I can do," the nurse assured the eldest Halliwell sister before disappearing once more. Not two seconds later the doctor walked in.

"How are we doing?" he asked cheerfully.

"Make it stop hurting!" Paige grumbled.

The doctor said nothing but bent down and peered between Paige's legs. Henry blushed slightly. The doctor gave a satisfied grunt before standing up.

"Well Paige, you're progressing quickly. You're about five centimeters," he informed her.

"About that pain medication?" Henry prompted.

"I'll get the anesthesiologist in here to administer an epidural," he said before leaving.

"You're doing great," Phoebe encouraged Paige.

"We're never having more kids," the whitelighter spat at her husband.

"Yes dear," he said with a smile on his lips.

The room fell into silence. The anesthesiologist arrived and gave Paige the epidural, calming her down considerably. Another half hour passed and Paige was now fully dilated.

"Now, Paige you can do this. You delivered Wyatt," Piper coached, brushing a strand of dark hair from her baby sister's face.

"Well all I had to do was catch. You did the rest," Paige remarked as she scrunched up her face at another contraction.

Back at the Manor Leo was in the kitchen, dishing out ice cream. He had gotten used to Naysa's odd dietary requests over the past months. That did not negate the fact that he would be glad to be free pregnant women in the house for a while. He was putting the ice cream scoop in the sink and reaching for the chocolate syrup when he heard voices coming from the other room.

"Paige? What are you doing here?" Naysa was asked.

"Where's the baby?" she added.

"Baby? Oh…it's at the hospital," Zahir lied, giving her a sugar sweet smile. He had taken on Paige's form but had not counted on the pregnant belly.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, bringing the bowls of ice cream in.

Zahir did not answer. Instead he send an energy ball at Leo. He ducked out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, Zahir had taken the opportunity to shimmer out with Naysa. Leo scrambled to feet and reached for the phone. Just as he was about to dial Piper's cell phone number, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he spoke hastily.

"It's a boy!" Piper exclaimed.

"Henry Jr.," she added.

"Tell Paige congrats from me but we have a bigger situation," he interrupted her.

"What? What's wrong?"

"A demon, a shape shifter by the looks of it just kidnapped Naysa," he informed his wife.

"Shape shifter? What did it look like?'

"Paige."

"You're kidding me," Piper moaned as she covered the phone.

"Naysa was just kidnapped by a shape shifter demon that looked like you," she told Paige who was gazing lovingly at her newborn.

"What?" Paige exclaimed, Henry snatching the child to safety.

"Now relax. Phoebe and I will go home and check the Book and take care of this," Piper told her trying to calm her sister down.

"Leo was right. I wasn't prepared," Paige moaned.

"Calm her down," Phoebe ordered Coop and Henry as she and Piper rushed from the room.

"Um, Piper?" Leo asked, still on the other end of the line.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie. We'll be home shortly," Piper told him before disconnecting.

Down in the Underworld, Zahir had reverted to his natural appearance and was thrusting Naysa towards a cot that had been constructed in one of the many caves. She turned to face him, not so much fear in her eyes but disgust and hatred.

"What do you want?" she spat confidently.

"You rape me and then don't show up until I'm due," she continued.

"Shut up witch," Zahir snarled, threatening to hit her.

"You can't have my baby," Nay protested.

"We will see about that," he sneered as Yasir came in.

"Stay with her until she gives birth," Zahir muttered and left. Nay stared at Yasir.

"I'm not due for another month," she told him.

"I know that. He doesn't like to listen to anyone," Yasir said conversationally.

"So what, you're going to keep me down here for a month? The sisters will find you and vanquish you," she said threateningly.

"No, we'll just have to speed up the process," Yasir murmured before moving to sit next to her.

"Listen. This may sound strange coming from a demon but I want to keep that child of yours out of his hands as much as you do. He doesn't know what kind of power this child possesses," he muttered.

"Are you offering to help me?" Naysa questioned skeptically.

"Yes I am. So do forgive me but we really need to get you in labor," he apologized before sending her flying across the room.

"The fuck! Are you trying to kill me?" she hissed as she slowly picked herself up from the ground.

"No, merely trying to jump-start labor," Yasir answered as he helped her back to the bed. She looked to be in pain.

"Well I think it worked," she gasped as she felt the pressure in her nether regions break. She looked down to see dampened soil.

"Here, lay down," he instructed her. The cot wasn't very comfortable but it would do.

"Do you have a name?" Naysa asked as he conjured a basin of cool water and a clean cloth.

"Yasir," he answered as he dipped the cloth in the water and laid it on the edge.

"I'm Naysa," she introduced herself. He seemed so human to her. His personality and demeanor anyways.

"Have you done this before?" she asked nervously.

"No but I've been studying up," he answered and peered between her legs, causing her to squirm in embarrassment.

"You look to be only one centimeter,' he informed her.

"Only nine more to go," she grumbled.

"Will he be back?" she asked after a brief silence.

"Once he grows impatient," Yasir replied.

They lapsed into silence that was punctuated only by Naysa's periodic contractions. Back in the Manor Piper and Phoebe had arrived and were pouring over the Book of Shadows.

"Well there's an easy vanquishing potion. Let's get started," Phoebe commented and moved to begin preparation.

"How did the demon get in?" Piper was interrogating Leo.

"I don't know. I set up crystals around the house," he told her.

"Leo…you don't have powers anymore. They won't activate unless you are magical," Piper groaned.

"I tried," he said, trying to defend himself.

"I know you did. Which is better than either of us did," Piper admitted and went to help Phoebe with the potion. The potion now finished, Piper was scrying unsuccessfully for Naysa.

"He must have the location cloaked," Leo muttered.

"Maybe Paige can sense her," Phoebe suggested.

"But we told her we would handle this,' Piper countered.

"Yes, but Naysa is her charge," Phoebe shot back.

"Alright let's go," Piper sighed and the trio left to head back to the hospital, bringing the map and scrying crystal just in case.

"You're doing very well," Yasir coached. Naysa was now eight centimeters dilated and she was in a lot of pain.

'Aaah," she cried out in pain. Her cry brought Zahir.

"What is happening?" he demanded.

"It's the contractions. They're painful," Yasir answered, moving to wipe the sweat from her brow once more.

"How much longer," Zahir growled impatiently.

"I can't be certain. She is not yet fully ready to push."

"Well make her push," he ordered before leaving with a sweeping gesture.

"Why do you put up with him?" Naysa asked between contractions.

"I won't be for long. Just focus on the baby," Yasir replied and checked her dilation once more. She had rapidly progressed to ten centimeters.

"Alright, you're ready to push. So just push whenever you feel the urge," he instructed and almost instantaneously she felt her body contract. Somehow she knew what to do. She supposed she could be tapping into Paige's or Piper's experiences of giving birth. They were magically linked by her power after all.

"Good…stop and take a breath." It felt strange to be coached by a demon, someone who could easily kill her with a flick of his wrist.

This continued for another twenty minutes until finally the child's head was out of the birth canal. Another two pushes and she was out all the way. Yasir placed the squeaking newborn on her mother's stomach atop a clean cloth. Naysa smiled down at the child. She looked human.

"She looks human," she commented breathlessly as Yasir worked to severe the umbilical cord and clean up the afterbirth.

"That she does," he commented, pride in his voice.

"We must be quiet. I'm going to let you rest enough to get your strength enough to walk," Yasir said, his voice hushed.

"What about Arynne?" Naysa questioned frantically. Could this demon be playing her and telling her to rest so he could hand off her child to Zahir.

"She will stay with you," he answered.

She sighed and held the newborn to her chest protectively. She did not sleep but she did nod off several times. Suddenly she felt her arm being shaken. She opened her eyes to see Yasir looking expectant.

"That is all the time we can afford. Give me the child. Your whitelighter should be able to sense and summon you now," he told her hurriedly.

"What about my baby?' she demanded.

"I will bring her to you as soon as I can," Yasir promised.

No sooner had the child been transferred from mother to demon did Naysa disappear in orbs. She reappeared in the Manor. Paige and the others had returned the Manor, hoping the presence of the Nexus would help break the cloak.

"Oh my god!" Paige cried as Naysa appeared.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

A loud crash resounded in the kitchen of the Manor. Piper rushed in to find Paige leaning against the counter, one hand on her enlarged abdomen, the other supporting her weight on the countertop. Directly below her, a water glass lay shattered.

"Paige, are you alright?" Piper asked.

"I…Ow," Paige cried in pain.

"Honey, breathe. Did your water break?" Piper coached her baby sister.

"I don't think so," Paige managed as the pain subsided.

"Well we're going to need to get you to the hospital," the elder murmured, panic starting to rise within her.

"I can't orb," Paige commented.

"Coop!" Piper shouted, ignoring her sister's statement. In a flash Coop appeared.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, eyeing Paige.

"You need to take her to the hospital," Piper ordered before beginning to clean up the broken water glass.

"Piper…what makes you think teleporting is any safer than orbing?" Paige shot uncomfortably.

"It keeps you in one piece," her sister answered from her position on the floor.

"Look…can you call Henry and tell him to meet me at the hospital?" Paige asked, gripping her stomach in pain once more.

"Of course. Now go," Piper ordered sharply.

The two disappeared in the pulsing light of a heartbeat. Just then, Naysa rounded the corner, Wyatt just ahead of her. He ran to his mother was just finishing sweeping the shards of class into a dustpan.

"Mommy!" he called, bending down to inspect what she was doing.

"Hi sweetie," she greeted, kissing the top of his head before standing up.

"What happened?" Naysa asked, one hand resting on her lower back.

"Paige and Coop just went to the hospital," Piper answered, emptying the remains into the trash.

"Oh no…is she ok?" Paige's charge asked, worry in her tone.

"Well her water hasn't broken yet but she's been having contractions."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she'll probably go into labor sometime today," Piper answered.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, appearing from the living room.

"Paige. Hospital. Baby," his wife answered sarcastically.

"Oh. I think you should stay in the Manor,' he addressed Naysa.

"We don't know what the demon might try. And the Manor is safer than a hospital. Maybe set up some crystals," he suggested.

"Leo, relax. Paige is the one having the baby right now, not Naysa." Piper reprimanded.

"I know that Piper. But Paige won't be able to protect her while she's giving birth. I told her she'd have to work this out," he grumbled.

"Yes you did but we'll figure something out," Piper mumbled, grabbing the phone. She first called Henry, informing him of Paige's situation. Next on her list was Phoebe.

"Phoebe Halliwell," Phoebe spoke into the receiver.

"Phoebe, it's your sister. Paige is about to go into labor. Coop took her to the hospital," Piper answered.

"Oh!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she added before hanging up.

"So what do we do?" Leo pressed, eyeing Piper as she placed the phone back on the cradle.

"We bring the boys to Magic School and then we go to the hospital," Piper answered matter-of-factly. She moved to gather Wyatt and Chris and prepare to go to Magic School.

"Piper weren't you listening to anything I said?" Leo questioned angrily.

"Naysa will be safest here at the Manor but she needs someone to stay with her," he reiterated.

"Fine, then you stay. I'm not missing the birth of our nephew," Piper grumbled.

With that, Piper ushered the boys towards the door that had appeared in the stairway. Minutes later she reappeared. She grabbed her coat and keys and left without a word. Leo looked severely pissed off. It was his nephew too.

"Thanks for staying with me," Naysa said softly.

"No problem," Leo muttered, trying to calm down. Once his temper was back under control, he began setting crystals around the house.

"You think those will really help?" Nay asked as he placed the final crystal on a windowsill.

"I hope so," he answered.

The pair settled into watching TV in the living room. At the hospital, Paige lay in a hospital bed, gripping the rail firmly as she fought through another contraction. Her water had broken about an hour ago.

"Can't they give me something for the pain," she whined as she relaxed once more.

"I thought we decided you didn't want anything, honey," Henry commented.

"You're not the one being torn apart," she snapped.

"Excuse me," Piper called, catching the attention of a passing nurse.

"Yes?" she answered.

"My sister needs some pain medication for her contractions," Piper informed her.

"I'll see what I can do," the nurse assured the eldest Halliwell sister before disappearing once more. Not two seconds later the doctor walked in.

"How are we doing?" he asked cheerfully.

"Make it stop hurting!" Paige grumbled.

The doctor said nothing but bent down and peered between Paige's legs. Henry blushed slightly. The doctor gave a satisfied grunt before standing up.

"Well Paige, you're progressing quickly. You're about five centimeters," he informed her.

"About that pain medication?" Henry prompted.

"I'll get the anesthesiologist in here to administer an epidural," he said before leaving.

"You're doing great," Phoebe encouraged Paige.

"We're never having more kids," the whitelighter spat at her husband.

"Yes dear," he said with a smile on his lips.

The room fell into silence. The anesthesiologist arrived and gave Paige the epidural, calming her down considerably. Another half hour passed and Paige was now fully dilated.

"Now, Paige you can do this. You delivered Wyatt," Piper coached, brushing a strand of dark hair from her baby sister's face.

"Well all I had to do was catch. You did the rest," Paige remarked as she scrunched up her face at another contraction.

Back at the Manor Leo was in the kitchen, dishing out ice cream. He had gotten used to Naysa's odd dietary requests over the past months. That did not negate the fact that he would be glad to be free pregnant women in the house for a while. He was putting the ice cream scoop in the sink and reaching for the chocolate syrup when he heard voices coming from the other room.

"Paige? What are you doing here?" Naysa was asked.

"Where's the baby?" she added.

"Baby? Oh…it's at the hospital," Zahir lied, giving her a sugar sweet smile. He had taken on Paige's form but had not counted on the pregnant belly.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, bringing the bowls of ice cream in.

Zahir did not answer. Instead he send an energy ball at Leo. He ducked out of the way just in time. Unfortunately, Zahir had taken the opportunity to shimmer out with Naysa. Leo scrambled to feet and reached for the phone. Just as he was about to dial Piper's cell phone number, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he spoke hastily.

"It's a boy!" Piper exclaimed.

"Henry Jr.," she added.

"Tell Paige congrats from me but we have a bigger situation," he interrupted her.

"What? What's wrong?"

"A demon, a shape shifter by the looks of it just kidnapped Naysa," he informed his wife.

"Shape shifter? What did it look like?'

"Paige."

"You're kidding me," Piper moaned as she covered the phone.

"Naysa was just kidnapped by a shape shifter demon that looked like you," she told Paige who was gazing lovingly at her newborn.

"What?" Paige exclaimed, Henry snatching the child to safety.

"Now relax. Phoebe and I will go home and check the Book and take care of this," Piper told her trying to calm her sister down.

"Leo was right. I wasn't prepared," Paige moaned.

"Calm her down," Phoebe ordered Coop and Henry as she and Piper rushed from the room.

"Um, Piper?" Leo asked, still on the other end of the line.

"Oh I'm sorry sweetie. We'll be home shortly," Piper told him before disconnecting.

Down in the Underworld, Zahir had reverted to his natural appearance and was thrusting Naysa towards a cot that had been constructed in one of the many caves. She turned to face him, not so much fear in her eyes but disgust and hatred.

"What do you want?" she spat confidently.

"You rape me and then don't show up until I'm due," she continued.

"Shut up witch," Zahir snarled, threatening to hit her.

"You can't have my baby," Nay protested.

"We will see about that," he sneered as Yasir came in.

"Stay with her until she gives birth," Zahir muttered and left. Nay stared at Yasir.

"I'm not due for another month," she told him.

"I know that. He doesn't like to listen to anyone," Yasir said conversationally.

"So what, you're going to keep me down here for a month? The sisters will find you and vanquish you," she said threateningly.

"No, we'll just have to speed up the process," Yasir murmured before moving to sit next to her.

"Listen. This may sound strange coming from a demon but I want to keep that child of yours out of his hands as much as you do. He doesn't know what kind of power this child possesses," he muttered.

"Are you offering to help me?" Naysa questioned skeptically.

"Yes I am. So do forgive me but we really need to get you in labor," he apologized before sending her flying across the room.

"The fuck! Are you trying to kill me?" she hissed as she slowly picked herself up from the ground.

"No, merely trying to jump-start labor," Yasir answered as he helped her back to the bed. She looked to be in pain.

"Well I think it worked," she gasped as she felt the pressure in her nether regions break. She looked down to see dampened soil.

"Here, lay down," he instructed her. The cot wasn't very comfortable but it would do.

"Do you have a name?" Naysa asked as he conjured a basin of cool water and a clean cloth.

"Yasir," he answered as he dipped the cloth in the water and laid it on the edge.

"I'm Naysa," she introduced herself. He seemed so human to her. His personality and demeanor anyways.

"Have you done this before?" she asked nervously.

"No but I've been studying up," he answered and peered between her legs, causing her to squirm in embarrassment.

"You look to be only one centimeter,' he informed her.

"Only nine more to go," she grumbled.

"Will he be back?" she asked after a brief silence.

"Once he grows impatient," Yasir replied.

They lapsed into silence that was punctuated only by Naysa's periodic contractions. Back in the Manor Piper and Phoebe had arrived and were pouring over the Book of Shadows.

"Well there's an easy vanquishing potion. Let's get started," Phoebe commented and moved to begin preparation.

"How did the demon get in?" Piper was interrogating Leo.

"I don't know. I set up crystals around the house," he told her.

"Leo…you don't have powers anymore. They won't activate unless you are magical," Piper groaned.

"I tried," he said, trying to defend himself.

"I know you did. Which is better than either of us did," Piper admitted and went to help Phoebe with the potion. The potion now finished, Piper was scrying unsuccessfully for Naysa.

"He must have the location cloaked," Leo muttered.

"Maybe Paige can sense her," Phoebe suggested.

"But we told her we would handle this,' Piper countered.

"Yes, but Naysa is her charge," Phoebe shot back.

"Alright let's go," Piper sighed and the trio left to head back to the hospital, bringing the map and scrying crystal just in case.

"You're doing very well," Yasir coached. Naysa was now eight centimeters dilated and she was in a lot of pain.

'Aaah," she cried out in pain. Her cry brought Zahir.

"What is happening?" he demanded.

"It's the contractions. They're painful," Yasir answered, moving to wipe the sweat from her brow once more.

"How much longer," Zahir growled impatiently.

"I can't be certain. She is not yet fully ready to push."

"Well make her push," he ordered before leaving with a sweeping gesture.

"Why do you put up with him?" Naysa asked between contractions.

"I won't be for long. Just focus on the baby," Yasir replied and checked her dilation once more. She had rapidly progressed to ten centimeters.

"Alright, you're ready to push. So just push whenever you feel the urge," he instructed and almost instantaneously she felt her body contract. Somehow she knew what to do. She supposed she could be tapping into Paige's or Piper's experiences of giving birth. They were magically linked by her power after all.

"Good…stop and take a breath." It felt strange to be coached by a demon, someone who could easily kill her with a flick of his wrist.

This continued for another twenty minutes until finally the child's head was out of the birth canal. Another two pushes and she was out all the way. Yasir placed the squeaking newborn on her mother's stomach atop a clean cloth. Naysa smiled down at the child. She looked human.

"She looks human," she commented breathlessly as Yasir worked to severe the umbilical cord and clean up the afterbirth.

"That she does," he commented, pride in his voice.

"We must be quiet. I'm going to let you rest enough to get your strength enough to walk," Yasir said, his voice hushed.

"What about Arynne?" Naysa questioned frantically. Could this demon be playing her and telling her to rest so he could hand off her child to Zahir.

"She will stay with you," he answered.

She sighed and held the newborn to her chest protectively. She did not sleep but she did nod off several times. Suddenly she felt her arm being shaken. She opened her eyes to see Yasir looking expectant.

"That is all the time we can afford. Give me the child. Your whitelighter should be able to sense and summon you now," he told her hurriedly.

"What about my baby?' she demanded.

"I will bring her to you as soon as I can," Yasir promised.

No sooner had the child been transferred from mother to demon did Naysa disappear in orbs. She reappeared in the Manor. Paige and the others had returned the Manor, hoping the presence of the Nexus would help break the cloak.

"Oh my god!" Paige cried as Naysa appeared.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Naysa sat up and looked around, slightly disoriented. The room was brighter than the cave and took a minute for her eyes to adjust. Before she knew it, people had descended on her, half-pulling and half-pushing her to a couch, looking her over.

"What happened?" six voices questioned at once.

"The demon that raped me, kidnapped me," she began, feeling oddly calm.

"Then his…subordinate I guess stayed with me until Arynne was born," Nay continued.

"You weren't due for another month," Paige spoke up.

"I know. But she's doing fine, really," Nay assured the whitelighter.

"A demon delivered your baby?" Piper asked, her eyebrow rose in shock.

"Yes. He's actually really nice. He talked me through everything," she answered.

"Nice demons don't generally last long," Phoebe said with a knowing look.

"I know and I wasn't sure I could trust him at first but…I just got this feeling that I could…that the baby could. And I don't think it was because she's part demon."

"I'm going to get cleaned up quickly. Yasir will be coming soon with Arynne," she announced.

"Yasir…who the hell is Yasir?" Piper asked.

"The demon who delivered my baby," Nay called over her shoulder as she hurried up the stairs. She drew a bath and soaked for a good ten minutes, getting the feeling of the Underworld off her skin. She was dressed in fresh clothes and back downstairs in record time. Just as she entered the room Yasir shimmered in, Arynne tucked safely in his arm.

"You came," Naysa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Quickly, he's coming," Yasir said, handing the child to her mother. Piper and Phoebe raised their hands to throw potion vials.

"Wait! Please. I'm on your side," Yasir protested.

"We learned a long time ago no to trust demons," Phoebe snapped.

"I want Zahir gone as much as you do. I want to keep that child out of his hands," he explained.

"It's true. You guys can trust him," Naysa told them and the girls slowly put down their potions. They were not entirely in agreement with siding with a demon. They'd gotten burned, both literally and figuratively in the past for doing that.

"So where's your buddy?" Phoebe asked.

"Right there," Nay breathed, pointing.

"Nice vanishing act, witch," Zahir snarled, advancing on the group assembled. Piper and Phoebe both threw their vials but they exploded in an energy ball before they could make contact with the demon.

"I expected more from the Charmed One," he sneered as he moved to take Arynne.

"Get the hell away from my daughter," Naysa spat. She closed her eyes and began searching the network of magic open to her. She managed to tap into Phoebe's old power of levitation and rose above his reach.

"Give me my son!" Zahir shouted.

"It's a girl," Yasir stated dryly.

Angrily, Zahir sent his companion flying across the room. He didn't care at this point whom he had to get past to get the child. Naysa had set back down in the midst of the sisters. She was not letting go of her baby girl.

"Give me the child!" Zahir roared once again. Piper shot her hands out at him but he neither froze nor blew up.

"Uh oh," Piper muttered.

"I'd say that's a big 'uh oh'," Pheebs muttered, starting to panic.

Just then Arynne began to cry loudly. Frantically, Nay began to shush her and rock her back and forth. Paige had moved out of the way, feeling helpless that she couldn't save her charge. As Zahir advanced, Arynne's cries grew louder and more forceful. No amount of consoling words and gestures would quiet her. Once Zahir was in striking distance, Arynne stopped crying and a large fireball appeared in front of her. She gave a half sigh half squawk and the fireball shot forward, consuming the shape shifter. He exploded, leaving nothing behind. No one spoke for what felt like hours. They all just stared at the child in Naysa's arms.

"Did she just…?" Naysa trailed off.

"She just vanquished a demon," Piper finished.

"She vanquished her own father," Coop murmured. He wasn't sure how to feel.

"That was how it was supposed to happen," Yasir informed them all, moving towards them. He peered down at Arynne, her small arms reaching upwards towards him.

"May I?" he asked softly and Naysa nodded.

"Guess that is one demon we can trust," Paige murmured with a half-hearted laugh.

"I have a request to ask of you," he said, addressing the Charmed Ones. They shared an anxious look before letting him continue.

"I would like to be made human," he told them.

"What?" Phoebe asked, astounded.

"Please," he pleaded.

"Alright. What do we get out of it?" Piper asked.

"One less demon to worry about," he told them.

The girls gathered together in a tight circle and began conversing in low tones. After some minutes they dispersed and Paige summoned a piece of paper and a pen. They collaborated and came up with a spell. They faced Yasir and began to incant.

_Let this demon's inner sight be seen.__  
__Magic help us witches three to glean.__  
__Take away and change his demon face.__  
__Make him part of the human race._

White lights surrounded Yasir and his demonic visage fell away to reveal an attractive twenty-something Middle Eastern man. He smiled wildly at them.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," he said gratefully.

"Never had that happen before," Paige murmured under her breath.

"Well it's what he wanted to look like," Piper answered back.

"If you would allow it, I would like to help you raise the child. Every child deserves a mother and a father," he said, addressing Naysa.

"I would like that a lot. Not marriage or anything but maybe someday," she replied, hugging him.

"Oh…marriage and demons don't really mix," Phoebe interjected.

"He's human now," Paige reminded her.

"But I still have my demonic powers. I wish to bind them," he spoke.

"That is until Arynne is old enough to learn to control her powers," he added.

"I guess we have to make a binding potion now," Paige complained.

"Actually, I think I saw a spell for binding powers in the Book," Leo commented and disappeared, reappearing shortly with the Book. He laid it on the table an began to flip through it. He found what he was looking for. The girls copied the spell down and turned once again to Yasir.

_In this time and in this hour__  
__We call upon his darkest power__  
__Bind it so none can see__  
__Hidden away forever be_

He took in a deep breath and held out his hand. Nothing happened. He smiled gratefully once again at the sisters.

"You have given me a great gift. I thank you," he said, and without warning, hugged each of them.

"Now, we're raising her to be good," Naysa interrupted the hugging fest.

"Whatever you feel best. And I would not have doubted it," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, staring down at the child.

"I think it's time to move you back to your apartment," Paige said with a grin.

"I think you're right. It's not that I don't love you guys, I do. I just think we need our own space," Nay confirmed.

"Let's start packing then," Leo said, ushering his brothers-in-law out of the room and upstairs. In no time flat they had packed everything up. Naysa had to laugh at how fast they'd packed everything and loaded it into Leo's car.

"Hold on there tiger," Piper called.

"She's not leaving yet. She can stay for dinner," she chided.

"I'm just being prepared," he answered, kissing her.

"Yeah, sure," she said jokingly.

"So what do you think about having another one?" Piper asked into his chest.

"You willing to go through the morning sickness again?" he asked with a grin.

"It's been a few years. I think I'm ready," she whispered seductively.

"Not in front of your sisters," he murmured back.

"Alright, break it up two lovebirds," Phoebe said, shooing them apart.

"Piper is needed in the kitchen," she added, dragging her sister with her. Leo just shook his head. He was soon joined by Henry.

"So you want another one?" he asked.

"Yeah. I do. I mean, I think we'll wait a little while. Two pregnant women around the house at one time was more than enough. We need to let the hormones settle first," Leo answered with a laugh.

"Well you're number one on my speed dial for baby emergencies," Henry chuckled, slapping Leo on the shoulder.

"Just remember, I can't orb. So it better be really damn important emergencies if I'm going to get caught speeding," he shot back in the same joking manner.

Naysa and Yasir sat in the sun room, rocking Arynne between them. They seemed so content with each other. Somehow Naysa felt better knowing she had an ex-demon with her to raise her baby. It felt now that she was made stronger and would not be so easily broken by the trials of raising a magical infant.


End file.
